Obama talks outsourcing, tax reform

President Barack Obama urged companies to move outsourced jobs back to the United States and touted his plan for a more business-friendly government in his weekly address to the nation Saturday.

The president asked business executives to invest more in the country that fostered their success and said he had a number of American-made products with him: a lock, boots, socks and a candle.

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“No, we’re not having a yard sale. And these products may not appear to have much in common. But they’re united by three proud words: ‘Made in America,’” Obama said. “The companies that make these products are part of a hopeful trend: they’re bringing jobs back from overseas … And in this make-or-break moment for the middle class and those working to get into the middle class, that’s exactly the kind of commitment to country that we need.”

In return, he pledged a more business-friendly government and tax incentives. The president has hinted in recent days that he plans to propose what could be a large-scale overhaul of the Tax Code, but he has yet to provide details.

He said during his address that he would unveil his tax proposals “in the next few weeks.”

Obama said the more business-friendly government would come from his plan to merge a half dozen federal agencies. The president asked Congress Friday to grant him authority to consolidate the Commerce Department, Small Business Administration, the Office of the U.S. Trade representative and other independent business agencies into a new, unnamed Cabinet agency.

“This is the same sort of authority that every business owner has to make sure that his or her company keeps pace with the times,” he said in his address. “It’s the same authority that presidents had for over 50 years — up until Ronald Reagan.”

The president also spoke about creating a new website, BusinessUSA, designed to be a “one-stop shop with information for businesses small and large that want to start selling their stuff around the world.

“This means that more small business owners will see their hard work pay off. More companies will be able to hire new workers,” Obama said. “And we’ll be able to rebuild an economy that’s not known for paper profits or financial speculation, but for making and selling products like these. Products made in America.”